Locking device for a pistol

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a locking device for a pistol, for which by means of a cylinder lock ( 10, 11 ), which is arranged in the handle of the weapon behind the magazine shaft ( 21 ), a locking element ( 7, 19 ) can be brought from one position in which it extends into the path of motion of a part ( 20 ) of the trigger mechanism ( 4 ), into a position in which it does not hinder the motion of the trigger.  
     According to the invention, the moving parts ( 9, 8, 7 ) of the locking device execute purely rotational motions and preferably the locking element formed as a locking shaft ( 7 ) is provided over a section formed as a cam ( 19 ).

The invention relates to a locking device for a pistol with a trigger, atrigger mechanism, and a firing pin, hammer, or the like, which isactuated by this mechanism, wherein the locking device contains acylinder lock, which is arranged in the handle of the weapon, whoselocking cylinder can be turned with a key, and which has a transmissionmechanism of rods, levers, screws, and the like, wherein a lockingelement can be moved from a position where it is located outside of thepath of motion of a part of the trigger mechanism of the pistol, into aposition in which it projects into the path of motion of this part.

From DE 89 04 112 U, a locking device is known, which is provided in thelower part of a modified magazine and which pushes or also does not pusha locking pin through aligned recesses in the rear wall of the magazineand the rear wall of the magazine shaft into the path of motion of thetrigger mechanism. This device is complicated, expensive, and reducesthe functionality of the weapon, because of increased weight, the numberof cartridges in the magazine is reduced. In the end, this device doesnot actually achieve its purpose, because it is possible to destroy themagazine without damaging the weapon and consequently it is possible touse the weapon with a normal magazine.

Another locking device is known from WO 02/070978 A by the applicant.The contents of this publication are incorporated into the presentapplication for reference. In this previously known locking device, thecylinder lock and at least parts of the transfer mechanism are arrangedbehind the magazine shaft. In the region of the cylinder lock, there isa crank guide with a helical path of motion, which converts therotational movement of the cylinder lock into a linear movement, whichis transferred over a rod to a locking element, which locks or releasesthe trigger mechanism according to the position of the cylinder lock.

This device has a reliable operation and cannot be deactivated byunauthorized persons without damaging the weapon. However, it has beenshown that by selectively damaging the weapon, it is possible todeactivate the locking device without critically reducing thefunctionality of the weapon. It is definitely no longer possible to owna pistol modified in this way without suspicion or even to place it onthe (legal) market, but it can still be used illegally. Here, it isnecessary to saw off the back of the handle in the region of therotating rod and thus to cut through the rotating rod. For this reason,the crank guide is complicated in production and requires maintenance.

The goal of the present invention is to solve these problems and tocreate a more improved locking device for pistols, especially one thatcannot be manipulated without noticeable and destructive effects.

These goals are achieved according to the invention in that theactivating rod transfers the locking motion or the release motion onlythrough rotation and it is surrounded, preferably over at leastessentially its entire length, by a sheath, which can rotate freelyrelative to this rod, which is seated loosely, and which is made fromresistant material, preferably hard metal. In this way, one avoids allcomplicated and delicate gear-like devices, which convert the rotationalmovement of the key into a translational movement. In addition, ifattempts are made to saw off the activating rod, it is no longerpossible to reach this rod because while sawing, the hard-metal tubeturns with the sawing motion without becoming damaged. Therefore, thelocking device can no longer be deactivated by inconspicuous damage tothe outer rear wall of the handle.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to thedrawing. Shown here are

FIG. 1, a locking device according to the invention in an exploded view,

FIG. 2, the device of FIG. 1 assembled and integrated into the triggermechanism of a pistol in the locked position,

FIG. 3, the device of FIG. 2 in the same view, but in the releasedposition,

FIG. 4, the view of FIG. 3, but with a pulled trigger handle,

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, details, and

FIG. 8, a schematic overall view.

From FIG. 1, a locking device according to the invention is shown in anexploded view. The entire device is located, in the assembled state, inthe handle of a pistol 22 behind the magazine shaft 21, which is alreadyknown from WO 02/070978 A, whose FIG. 1 is contained in the presentapplication as FIG. 8, and here requires no further explanation.

From FIG. 8, the position of a device 1 according to the invention in apistol 22 can be seen, where the device shown here also corresponds tothe state of the art. In this figure, a tab 23 of a firing pin 17 (FIG.2) is also shown in contact with the associated activating element 24 ofthe trigger mechanism 2 (FIG. 1).

The construction of the device designated in its entirety with 1 is thefollowing: a trigger mechanism 2 for a pistol 22 has a cock 3 (triggerguard) and a trigger slide 4. In a control block 5, the trigger motion,amplified by a trigger spring 6, is converted into the tension motionand the release motion for a firing pin 17. This mechanism has beenknown for a long time and has been proven effective. The invention isexplained in the following with reference to this mechanism, withoutbeing restricted to use with this mechanism. According to the invention,a rotating locking shaft 7 is arranged in the region of the triggermotion of the trigger rod 4. The locking shaft 7 has a receiver at itslower end for a drive rod 8, with which it is connected so that the twoparts are locked in rotation. The upper end of the locking shaft 7carries a type of cam disk 19, e.g., in the shape of a semicircle.

The other, lower end of the drive rod 8 extends into the receiver of astop piece 9, which is supported so that it can rotate in the recess ofa lock receptacle 10. The lower end of the lock receptacle 10 is formedessentially aligned with the base of the handle of the pistol and has areceptacle for a rotor 11, which can be turned in the lock receptacle 10by a matching key 12.

When the key 12 is turned, not only the rotor 11 and the stop piece 9,but also the drive rod 8 and consequently the locking shaft 7 turn inthe same direction. At its upper end, the locking shaft 7 has a cam-likeconfiguration 19, which will be referred to below.

The stop piece 9 has two cam-like disks, which are offset in heightrelative to each other. The lower of these disks is located at theheight of the lock receptacle 10, while the upper disk is arranged abovethis. The lower cam disk interacts with stops in the lock receptacle andlimits the rotation of the stop piece and thus the key and the lockingshaft. The upper cam disk lies in a recess of a slide 13 and accordingto the angular position of the stop piece, a signal edge 14 of the slide13 is separated from the rotational axis of the stop piece or pushedtowards it.

The guidance of the slide 13 and the axial securing of the stop piece 9is taken over by a lock cap 15, which is screwed on the matching lockreceptacle 10.

Over the majority of the length of the drive rod 8 there is a sheath 16loosely surrounding it, which preferably consists of extremely resistantmaterial, e.g., hard metal, as will be explained in the following.

FIG. 2 shows the assembled device of FIG. 1 and also, for this purpose,a firing pin 17, and, in the region of the slide 13, the sheath of ahandle piece 18. FIG. 12 [sic; 2] represents the locking device 1according to the invention in the locked position, a position in whichthe full part of the cam section 19 of the locking shaft 7 is directedtowards a projection or a shoulder 20 of the tension disk 4 and preventsany motion of the trigger slide 4 in the trigger direction. This can beseen especially clearly from the top view in FIG. 2.

The sheath 16, which sits loosely over the drive rod 8, now has thepurpose, when the sheath 16 extends far enough in the region between theslide 13 and the (not shown) lock, that if an attempt is made to saw theweapon in order to destroy the drive rod or to fix the drive rod in itsreleased position, then the saw pushes on the sheath 16 and turns thesheath freely with each sawing motion over the drive rod 8 withoutallowing the drive rod to be sawed through. This is realized, on the onehand, by placing the sheath 16 on the drive rod 8 with open space therebetween and, on the other hand, by making the sheath 16 preferably outof extremely hard material. This therefore achieves protection againstmanipulation and misuse, which can only be overcome by destroying alarge area of the weapon in the rear region of the handle to allow thesheath 16 to be destroyed with pliers, a bolt cutter, or the like, andwith it also the drive rod 8. The free movement of the sheath 16 aboutthe drive rod 8 is indicated in the side view of FIG. 2 by the circulararrow F.

FIG. 3 shows this mechanism in the same views as FIG. 2, but with thelocking device in the open, unlocked position.

The difference can be seen particularly in the top view, where thedistance between the shoulder 20 of the trigger slide 4 and the camsection 19 of the locking shaft 7 can be seen. This distance issufficient to tension the pistol with the completion of the triggermotion of the trigger slide 4, to release the firing pin, and thus totrigger the shot.

The slide 14 is pulled back into the position shown in FIG. 3 as a wholeinto the interior of the handle, in FIG. 2, in the locked position theslide surface 14 clearly extends over the surrounding surface of thehandle piece 18, so that even in the dark it can be recognized just byholding the pistol on the handle piece whether the locking mechanism isin the locked or open position.

FIG. 4 shows the device of FIG. 3, wherein the locking device 1 is againin the open position, but the trigger mechanism is triggered, thetrigger slide 4 is in its rearmost position, and the firing bolt 17 hasjust been released.

One can see in the front view, and also in the top view, that thetrigger slide 4 also has enough space in its rearmost position in ordernot to collide with the facing side of the cam section 19 of the lockingshaft 7, so that the functionality of the weapon is completely given.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 show details of the drive rod 8, in particular itspositioning on one side in the locking shaft 7, on the other side in thestop piece 9.

FIG. 6 shows a section along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5. One can see thetwo cam-shaped disks of the stop piece 8 and the lowermost region of thedrive rod 8 shaped or worked into a hexagon. This region is not onlypolygonal, but also spherical, so that the inclined position of the axisof the drive rod 8 plays no role relative to the rotational axis of thestop piece 9. In addition, an axial displacement is secured by thepolygonal-cylindrical receptacle in the stop piece 9.

Here, a more detailed description will be given: the drive rod 8transfers the torque or rotation from the stop piece 9 to the lockingelement 7 and has, in the shown embodiment of FIG. 1, a region shaped orworked into a hexagon on both ends. In addition to the polygonal shapein each axial section, these regions are formed spherically incross-section through the axis, so that also for unaligned axes,rotational movements can be transferred. Here, it concerns an equivalentor similar shape, as occurs for wrenches for socket head screws, whichenable the rotation of corresponding socket head screws withoutrequiring the axes to be aligned. While the polygonal-cylindrical shapeof the receptacle in the stop piece 9 is made clear in FIG. 6, in FIG. 7the main feature is the polygonal-spherical end of the drive rod 8.

With reference to the upper end of the drive rod 8, which interacts withthe locking shaft 7 and is formed identically, this interaction becomesclear. The polygonal-spherical configuration can also be seen in FIG. 7,like the axial free space, which enables the problem-free lengthadaptation of the device to tolerances.

The invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment but can bemodified in various ways. It is essential that the motion between thelocked position and the open position from the rotational movement ofthe key up to the motion of the actual locking element, in the shownembodiment the locking shaft 7, be purely rotational movements, throughwhich complicated and delicate conversions from the rotational movementinto a linear movement, in particular a conversion from the movementabout an axis into an axial movement, are prevented. The arrangement ofthe sheath 16 as sawing protection is a valuable configuration, whichguarantees, in simple and extremely reliable ways, that manipulation ofthe locking device is only possible after extensive damage to theweapon.

As materials for the locking mechanism according to the invention, anymaterial can be used, which is typical for small firearms or materials,and which are typical for lock construction. Their selection does notrepresent a problem for someone skilled in the art of the invention.

1. Locking device for a pistol (22) with a trigger (3), a triggermechanism (4), and a firing pin (17), hammer, or the like, which isactuated by this mechanism, wherein the locking mechanism has a cylinderlock (10, 11), which is arranged in the handle of the pistol and whoselocking cylinder can be turned with a key (12) and wherein a transfermechanism (9, 8) brings a locking element (7) from a position in whichit is located outside of the path of motion of a part (20) of thetrigger mechanism (4) of the pistol, into a position in which it extendsinto the path of motion of this part (20), wherein the cylinder lock andthe transfer mechanism are arranged behind the magazine shaft (21) ofthe pistol (22), characterized in that the locking element (7) and thetransfer mechanism (9, 8) execute purely rotational movements. 2.Locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lockingelement (7) has a cam region (19), which extends or does not extend intothe path of motion of the part (20) according to the angular position ofthe locking element formed as the locking shaft.
 3. Locking deviceaccording to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the transfer mechanismincludes a drive rod (8) and a sheath (16), which can rotate freelyabout the drive rod (8), extending over a significant part of its axiallength.
 4. Locking device according to one of the preceding claims,characterized in that the sheath (16) consists of hard metal.
 5. Lockingdevice according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe drive rod (8) is formed on at least one end (8′) with apolygonal-spherical shape and extends into a complementarily formedpolygonal-cylindrical recess (7′, 9′) of the adjacent part, lockingshaft (7), and/or stop piece (9).
 6. Locking device according to one ofthe preceding claims, characterized in that the locking shaft (7) issupported so that it can rotate in the handle piece.